708 research outputs found
Offset Active Galactic Nuclei as Tracers of Galaxy Mergers and Supermassive Black Hole Growth
Offset active galactic nuclei (AGNs) are AGNs that are in ongoing galaxy
mergers, which produce kinematic offsets in the AGNs relative to their host
galaxies. Offset AGNs are also close relatives of dual AGNs. We conduct a
systematic search for offset AGNs in the Sloan Digital Sky Survey, by selecting
AGN emission lines that exhibit statistically significant line-of-sight
velocity offsets relative to systemic. From a parent sample of 18314 Type 2
AGNs at z<0.21, we identify 351 offset AGN candidates with velocity offsets of
50 km/s < |v| < 410 km/s. When we account for projection effects in the
observed velocities, we estimate that 4% - 8% of AGNs are offset AGNs. We
designed our selection criteria to bypass velocity offsets produced by rotating
gas disks, AGN outflows, and gravitational recoil of supermassive black holes,
but follow-up observations are still required to confirm our candidates as
offset AGNs. We find that the fraction of AGNs that are offset candidates
increases with AGN bolometric luminosity, from 0.7% to 6% over the luminosity
range 43 < log(L_bol) [erg/s] < 46. If these candidates are shown to be bona
fide offset AGNs, then this would be direct observational evidence that galaxy
mergers preferentially trigger high-luminosity AGNs. Finally, we find that the
fraction of AGNs that are offset AGN candidates increases from 1.9% at z=0.1 to
32% at z=0.7, in step with the growth in the galaxy merger fraction over the
same redshift range.Comment: 14 pages, 14 figures, accepted for publication in Ap
Spatially Offset Active Galactic Nuclei III: Discovery of Late-Stage Galaxy Mergers with The Hubble Space Telescope
Galaxy pairs with separations of only a few kpc represent important stages in
the merger-driven growth of supermassive black holes (SMBHs). However, such
mergers are difficult to identify observationally due to the correspondingly
small angular scales. In Paper I we presented a method of finding candidate
kpc-scale galaxy mergers that is leveraged on the selection of X-ray sources
spatially offset from the centers of host galaxies. In this paper we analyze
new Hubble Space Telescope (HST) WFC3 imaging for six of these sources to
search for signatures of galaxy mergers. The HST imaging reveals that four of
the six systems are on-going galaxy mergers with separations of 1.2-6.6 kpc
(offset AGN). The nature of the remaining two spatially offset X-ray sources is
ambiguous and may be associated with super-Eddington accretion in X-ray
binaries. The ability of this sample to probe small galaxy separations and
minor mergers makes it uniquely suited for testing the role of galaxy mergers
for AGN triggering. We find that galaxy mergers with only one AGN are
predominantly minor mergers with mass ratios similar to the overall population
of galaxy mergers. By comparison, galaxy mergers with two AGN are biased toward
major mergers and larger nuclear gas masses. Finally, we find that the level of
SMBH accretion increases toward smaller mass ratios (major mergers). This
result suggests the mass ratio effects not only the frequency of AGN triggering
but also the rate of SMBH growth in mergers.Comment: 15 pages, 7 figures, accepted for publication in The Astrophysical
Journa
Dual Supermassive Black Hole Candidates in the AGN and Galaxy Evolution Survey
Dual supermassive black holes (SMBHs) with kiloparsec scale separations in
merger-remnant galaxies are informative tracers of galaxy evolution, but the
avenue for identifying them in large numbers for such studies is not yet clear.
One promising approach is to target spectroscopic signatures of systems where
both SMBHs are fueled as dual active galactic nuclei (AGNs), or where one SMBH
is fueled as an offset AGN. Dual AGNs may produce double-peaked narrow AGN
emission lines, while offset AGNs may produce single-peaked narrow AGN emission
lines with line-of-sight velocity offsets relative to the host galaxy. We
search for such dual and offset systems among 173 Type 2 AGNs at z<0.37 in the
AGN and Galaxy Evolution Survey (AGES), and we find two double-peaked AGNs and
five offset AGN candidates. When we compare these results to a similar search
of the DEEP2 Galaxy Redshift Survey and match the two samples in color,
absolute magnitude, and minimum velocity offset, we find that the fraction of
AGNs that are dual SMBH candidates increases from z=0.25 to z=0.7 by a factor
of ~6 (from 2/70 to 16/91, or 2.9% to 18%). This may be associated with the
rise in the galaxy merger fraction over the same cosmic time. As further
evidence for a link with galaxy mergers, the AGES offset and dual AGN
candidates are tentatively ~3 times more likely than the overall AGN population
to reside in a host galaxy that has a companion galaxy (from 16/173 to 2/7, or
9% to 29%). Follow-up observations of the seven offset and dual AGN candidates
in AGES will definitively distinguish velocity offsets produced by dual SMBHs
from those produced by narrow-line region kinematics, and will help sharpen our
observational approach to detecting dual SMBHs.Comment: 10 pages, 8 figures, accepted for publication in Ap
Extended X-ray Emission From a Quasar-Driven Superbubble
We present observations of extended, 20-kpc scale soft X-ray gas around a
luminous obscured quasar hosted by an ultra-luminous infrared galaxy caught in
the midst of a major merger. The extended X-ray emission is well fit as a
thermal gas with a temperature of kT ~ 280 eV and a luminosity of L_X ~ 10^42
erg/s and is spatially coincident with a known ionized gas outflow. Based on
the X-ray luminosity, a factor of ~10 fainter than the [OIII] emission, we
conclude that the X-ray emission is either dominated by photoionization, or by
shocked emission from cloud surfaces in a hot quasar-driven wind.Comment: Accepted for publication in ApJ, 6 pages, 2 figure
Antitrust and Regulating Big Data
The collection of user data online has seen enormous growth in recent years. Consumers have benefited from this growth through an increase in free or heavily subsidized services, better quality offerings, and rapid innovation. At the same time, the debate about Big Data, and what it really means for consumers and competition, has grown louder. Many have focused on whether Big Data even presents an antitrust issue, and whether and how harms resulting from Big Data should be analyzed and remedied under the antitrust laws. The academic literature, however, has somewhat lagged behind the policy debate, and a closer inspection of existing scholarly works reveals a dearth of thorough study of the issue.Commentators generally are split into two camps: one in favor of more proactive antitrust enforcement in the Big Data realm, and one opposing such intervention, considering antitrust inappropriate for regulation of Big Data. The academic case for the former has not, as yet, been fully developed, and is relatively light at present. Meanwhile, policy-focused work by academics and practitioners in this arena suggests that antitrust intervention in Big Data would be premature and misguided, especially considering the myriad pro-competitive benefits offered by Big Data.This article reviews the scholarly work on the implications of Big Data on competition, and considers the potential role of antitrust in the regulation of Big Data. Part I provides an overview of the scarce, academic literature specifically addressing the role of antitrust in Big Data issues. Parts II and III delve into the policy issues surrounding Big Data and whether it poses a risk to competition that warrants antitrust intervention. Part II details the ways in which Big Data may prove pro-competitive while Part III reviews and critiques the suggested potential harms to competition from Big Data. Part IV discusses the suitability of antitrust as the institutional choice for Big Data issues, and Part V concludes that, at present, antitrust is ill suited as the institutional choice. Further, the scholarly case for such harm has not yet been adequately established. Overall, this Article finds much noise as to potential “problems” around whether current antitrust tools and policy are adequate to deal with a Big Data “challenge.” In reality, there is no challenge at all, as the arguments for antitrust intervention when Big Data has come up as an issue have never carried the day for any merger or decided conduct case in any Department of Justice Antitrust Division (“DOJ”), Federal Trade Commission (“FTC”) or Directorate-General for Competition (“DG Competition”) to date
The Stellar Halos of Massive Elliptical Galaxies II: Detailed Abundance Ratios at Large Radius
We study the radial dependence in stellar populations of 33 nearby early-type
galaxies with central stellar velocity dispersions sigma* > 150 km/s. We
measure stellar population properties in composite spectra, and use ratios of
these composites to highlight the largest spectral changes as a function of
radius. Based on stellar population modeling, the typical star at 2 R_e is old
(~10 Gyr), relatively metal poor ([Fe/H] -0.5), and alpha-enhanced
([Mg/Fe]~0.3). The stars were made rapidly at z~1.5-2 in shallow potential
wells. Declining radial gradients in [C/Fe], which follow [Fe/H], also arise
from rapid star formation timescales due to declining carbon yields from
low-metallicity massive stars. In contrast, [N/Fe] remains high at large
radius. Stars at large radius have different abundance ratio patterns from
stars in the center of any present-day galaxy, but are similar to Milky Way
thick disk stars. Our observations are thus consistent with a picture in which
the stellar outskirts are built up through minor mergers with disky galaxies
whose star formation is truncated early (z~1.5-2).Comment: ApJ in press, 12 pages, 6 figure
A Search for Binary Active Galactic Nuclei: Double-Peaked [OIII] AGN in the Sloan Digital Sky Survey
We present AGN from the Sloan Digital Sky Survey (SDSS) having double-peaked
profiles of [OIII] 5007,4959 and other narrow emission-lines, motivated by the
prospect of finding candidate binary AGN. These objects were identified by
means of a visual examination of 21,592 quasars at z < 0.7 in SDSS Data Release
7 (DR7). Of the spectra with adequate signal-to-noise, 148 spectra exhibit a
double-peaked [OIII] profile. Of these, 86 are Type 1 AGN and 62 are Type 2
AGN. Only two give the appearance of possibly being optically resolved double
AGN in the SDSS images, but many show close companions or signs of recent
interaction. Radio-detected quasars are three times more likely to exhibit a
double-peaked [OIII] profile than quasars with no detected radio flux,
suggesting a role for jet interactions in producing the double-peaked profiles.
Of the 66 broad line (Type 1) AGN that are undetected in the FIRST survey, 0.9%
show double peaked [OIII] profiles. We discuss statistical tests of the nature
of the double-peaked objects. Further study is needed to determine which of
them are binary AGN rather than disturbed narrow line regions, and how many
additional binaries may remain undetected because of insufficient line-of-sight
velocity splitting. Previous studies indicate that 0.1% of SDSS quasars are
spatially resolved binaries, with typical spacings of ~10 to 100 kpc. If a
substantial fraction of the double-peaked objects are indeed binaries, then our
results imply that binaries occur more frequently at smaller separations (< 10
kpc). This suggests that simultaneous fueling of both black holes is more
common as the binary orbit decays through these spacings.Comment: 33 pages, 5 figures, LaTeX. Major revisions. Accepted for publication
in ApJ
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